Modern Vespa

I'm still on the lookout for a cool-ass, non-dorky, multi-season jacket.

I'd planned on getting something in Paris, assuming there'd be a lot of stylish options in the capital of stylish options and the chance to get something "different" as a functional souvenir, and I'd even scoped out one online and tracked down the shop...turns out it was 100% cotton and, with the exchange, prolly cost about $200. Uh, no.

Then it turned out the Parisians essentially don't do protection, so that idea fell thru.

Anyway, this Monday we were in the booming metropolis of Spokane (were running low on meth and Whitesnake sleeveless t-shirts...and I needed a case of primer for my 1973 Pontiac Firebird ), and we hit up the chain Cycle Gear, mainly so I could try on a protected hoodie or, really, just break down and buy a cheap mesh in hi vis and call it good.

Hoodie was crap.

Tried on the hi vis...wife sneered.

She pointed me toward the leather options. Tried one on. She loved it.

Seriously, she totally loved it! It was some generic brand and cost $300 but she was read to throw down for it right then.

I thought it looked...like it would work well with a Whitesnake sleeveless t and Firebird!!...but, after 20 years of marriage, menopause etc. I'll take whatever help I can get.

So, anyway, it got me thinking about leather as an option.

And, thus, here are my questions:

1) Is leather with protection overkill for low speed commuting? For touring? I thought the protection was inside textile to simulate the protection of leather, but I no nuthin' about this stuff. I'm a skinny dude with broad shoulders to begin with (yeah, sue me ), so shoulder pads on a tight coat looks pretty cartoony.

2) Is leather a bad choice for the PNW, where it rains a lot -- I mean, I can wear my "touring" coat for long rides, but how much wetness can weather handle?

3) Since y'all poo pooed Corrazo stuff, who's filling that niche, cuz that's the style I'd be after -- retro, non, well, Whitesnaky.

Spokane glee club (I want to look not like this):

Big selection:

http://www.leatherup.com/c/Mens-Leather-Motorcycle-Jackets/3/1247.html

Easy returns:

http://www.revzilla.com/mens-leather-motorcycle-jackets

Stylish award:

http://www.rolandsands.com/category/21/jackets

Ultra traditional:

https://www.schottnyc.com/store/men/jackets/motorcycle

If you don't want to be all Whitesnakey, you should definitely look at the retro leather styles - Dainese and Roland Sands have some cool stuff, and as modern jackets, they typically allow for modern padding, etc.

Leather is as practical as any natural product - it does need some care, and it's not always ideal for all conditions. That being said, I prefer the feel of it on the bike for sure - heavy and secure. In the winter, it's pretty dang windproof. Most leather jackets can take some rain, if properly treated and sealed, but they would take a while to dry, and there's always a risk of mildew.

If money is no object, take a jaunt over to Portland and check out Langlitz Leathers. They will be able to do all of the custom work to make it suit your preferences, and you'll have it for life. I have a Cascade that i bought used off of Ebay - it's probably from the 70's or 80's, and it's stunning.

Nothing is overkill - wear what you like!

I have a traditional style leather jacket from foxcreekleather.com I love the quality for the cost and they are a hand build type shop in Virginia although they have been expanding so some items are sewn in various US states now. items are all made in the US of good leather and lifetime guaranteed. Worth a look if you wish to go the leather route and want to have a say on what features get built in. I like it for cooler weather

Phil

Leather gets soaked through and can take a few days to dry out when you get 1/2" of rain in less than 20 minutes. I'm not sure if that is the flood-per-minute test, but less than that and it isn't too bad.

Leather is a heap better than ANY textile at well over 100mph, anyone who says otherwise hasn't tested textiles at over 100mph. My Dainese textile only j-u-s-t held up at that speed (so I bought another one).

All of this is entirely irrelevant.
Your wife thinks you have John Travolta overtones when you put a leather jacket on, and you're complaining?
Don't like the colour?

I'm a bit of a newbie with almost a year on my GTS 300. I live just north of you but we may get less rain in Victoria. I rode all winter, commuting a short distance to work and here's how I ride.

For wet and cool season: I have a Vespa mid-size windshield. Can't say enough about it. Keeps much of the rain off, protects my gloved hands. I can see over it. I have a Roland Sands Ronin jacket in the tobacco colour. I love it but ... I have wide shoulders that forced me to take a large when I normally fit medium so it is a little roomy in the body. Good for sweaters, but even then overkill in roominess for me. I am no longer skinny but still take a size 32 waist pants. You have to try the jacket on. I bought a cheapo rainsuit - pants and jacket - and when it is more than a light drizzle wear the shell jacket over the Ronin which is always worn as I want to always have armour. The moderately hi-viz rain shell jacket lives in the pet carrier when the weather is changeable. But I no longer wear the pants. Got a Termoscud from Scooterwest and that is another item that I highly recommend for our sort of winter weather. You will get where you are going warm and dry - maybe a little dampness on the hips that their new design may solve but I have not seen it in North America. The new one also has a zip out lining that would be welcome on the shoulder seasons.

So yes, leather is very doable on our machines. However, it is hot right now and I am longing for a kevlar mesh with some armour as the Ronin, although vented, is just too warm for summer days. Summer nights it's fine but we are right on the ocean and it does cool down in our evenings. Not sure what yours are like.

If anyone has a recommendation for summer protection I would love to hear it!

Hope this helps.

Edit: Sorry I was confused and thought the OP was in PNW but I still think my advice is sound. BTW I go down to a Vespa small clear wind screen for summer and think this helps me stay somewhat cooler in the leather jacket.

Paul

Call Thurston bros/Insurrection Leather, located in Seattle. They do premium-quality leather motorcyclists gear like few others. Carrie can get you fixed up and if it counts any points, they are themselves riders/racers.
If you remember seeing on the news a few months back that a portion of a Seattle city block was demolished in a gas explosion, their store was right in the middle of that, so call them before arriving.
They also handle complete custom sizes and a very wide variety of leathers.
Be prepared for sticker shock.

I will say leather, especially black will get HOT, my leather jacket is brown and has 22 years on it, have used several different leather products on it, from Mink oil to various leather creams. I never had the zip out lining, that was lost when MO had floods in '93, bike shop had to evacuate and somehow, that little jacket and the lining were not together, so it made a cheap buy for a small woman. And it has worn well.
My current summer protective jacket is mesh with zip out lining, in a size too big to get length of body and arms long enough and I like it for summer wear but will be replacing it as soon as I can locate a Cortech women's jacket in tall, small size. Everywhere is sold out this year so I will be next winter probably before buying. But I like having better protection and in 90+ days my leather jacket and chaps are just cooking hot.

The Bilt Air Demon Hybrid Jacket (image below) is my favorite leather hybrid jacket, ever. Seriously. I'm on my third one, which is good and bad... Good, because it's an awesome, three-season (four if you're in Cali) jacket. Bad, because every third year the zipper breaks. Fortunately it's got a 5-year warranty! Mesh front and back, leather sleeves and quarter-panels. $100-199 @ Cycle Gear depending on time of year...



...In the "winter" I can wear this jacket with a fleece pullover down to 40-degrees, and in the summer, up to 85 without pulling out the liner. I recently rode through three days of east-asian monsoons and both I and the jacket survived. But I'm a dork like that. :)

Link: https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/bilt-air-demon-hybrid-jacket

I've worn leather for the entire 8 years I've been riding.I ride year 'round in the PNW. Keep up with using leather cleaner and mink oil on it and the rain won't be an issue.

Vanson make some great leather gear if you can afford it.

The inside of the collar on both (one vented, one not) of my Corazzo 5.0s began to disintegrate after two years I like the style but I cannot recommend them.

In 2010 i did a high side while riding in town. I pulverized my T3 vertebrae and snapped my radius right at the wrist. I'd be paralyzed or dead if I'd decide to wear less just because I was only going for a short ride. The ground doesn't care what you're riding when you hit it so I choose to wear all the gear even on a 90 degree day like today.

There are several great shops around the Portland area for leather motorcycle and scooter jackets (besides Corazzo ). One is the Oregon Leather Company on NW 2nd. Another is Love's Leathers in nearby Battle Ground, WA (my favorite). The third is the famous (and expensive) Langlitz Leathers on SE Division. All of them will alter jackets so they really fit. Langlitz will build from scratch with any leather in any color - that's why they are so expensive.

Wow, thanks for all the awesome feedback, y'all!

This offers up a serious array of options -- and some just killer eye candy!

A lot of these are more than I wanted to spend BUT I'm also trying to get better about buying long-term quality instead of always buying crap, so I'll look carefully at everything.

My mental check-point will be whether I can walk across campus to my office during the school year without feeling like a dick, a 52 y.o. washed out hipster mid-mid-life crisis, or any other of a wide variety of clowns.

PaulG: I did indeed call our weather PNW. It's not quite as wet as y'all, but, as far as buying gear goes, pretty much the same.

There's a small chance I'll zip over to Portland before summer is out, and I know trying stuff on is really the way to go.

Thanks again!

Similar experience...

I have a very basic rain coat (non-biker) always with me. If it really starts to pour down, I just stop and slip it onto my leather jacket.

I apply bee wax once/twice a year, leather stays soft and comfy, but this does not add much to water resistance.

I have a removable lining, making the jacket extra nice at cold weather. I also have very good ventilation zippers on the back/side, they work marvellously when hot. BUT, they ventilate only when riding, so within stop&go city traffic leather is very hot. Still, I would look after controllable ventilation, it really is a great way to adjust the jacket with the weather.

And the looks....well, you just have to live with it. Looks the part when riding, but looks...well, like a short leather jacket when not riding. Goes well with Whitesnake though.


The combos, leather + synthetic are definitely interesting if you can find a nice looking one. I have leather + synthetic riding pants, which are just great...still use them with the scoot when it's cold, because of superior wind protection.

Just remember if you ever go down leather doesn't slide well on asphalt, so you are more likely to be rolling down the road instead of sliding like you would in textile riding gear.

I've had a Corrazo Shop Jacket for ten years. It still looks good and works with my Harley too. Well, except for the Vespa patches. I also have a Langlitz goatskin jacket. It's the best motorcycle gear I ever bought. But it looks dorky and way overkill on the scooter. For the scooter I use a brown leather flight jacket when needed.

Layering.

A good rain shell.
A good insulation layer.
A good jacket.

In my experience of crashing (I've had quite a few over the years), I seem to slide quite well in leather - saying that I seemed to slide quite well just wearing tennis gear as well (ouch). In my experience a decent leather jacket is best in a crash and also looks coolest (if that's important). Modern textile jackets are far better at keeping the rain out and most come with a removable lining which makes them more versatile. They also don't smell if you have to store them damp in an office. Textile jackets do tend to come apart in crashes over 40 mph - I've worn holes in 2 jackets just from sliding down the road, this wouldn't happen with a decent leather jacket. Even a good jacket doesn't surround you in a force field but it will protect you from abrasions. Broken bones tend to be more dependant on the type of crash you have, what you collide with and whether you throw your arms out when you hit the deck.

For rainy PNW I'd be looking at something like these:

http://www.bikebandit.com/riding-gear-and-accessories/jackets-vests/motorcycle-jackets/spidi-scout-jack-jacket-h2-out-jacket

http://www.bikebandit.com/riding-gear-and-accessories/jackets-vests/motorcycle-jackets/alpinestars-rideout-scion-2l-waterproof-jacket

Previous version of above, a bit cheaper http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/alpinestars-scion-jacket

Want to go a bit mod? http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/revit-dayton-jacket

I'm not sure what the moto gp racers wear nowadays, but they used to wear leather from their neck down to their feet. And not because it looked good.

As for a textile jacket ripping apart in a crash, I think it's a lot like helmets, once you crash in it, if it protected you, then it sacrificed itself for you. And it's probably a good time to hang it up (the jacket, not yourself!) and replace it.

I have all kinds of jackets - leather and textile and mesh. I retired the leather, as I have a couple more (a heavy Vanson CHP and my Dad's biker style jacket). I have a First Gear Jaunt jacket that is a longer (3/4 length) touring style jacket with a liner, and a Fieldsheer mesh jacket that gets a workout whenever it's above 75 degrees.

I understand your dilemma, you want to look good on and off the scoot, and you want some serious protection. Unfortunately, I don't know if you can get all three in one package. I think my touring jacket looks nice, but probably looks super dorky if I was walking somewhere not near the scoot...



OK, now that you read through all that, I recommend Motorcycle Gear. He has a lot of styles (maybe even some Whitesnake style!), and some great deals on closeouts. Some honest product reviews, and sizing info on just about every product on the site.

Don't worry so much about price (easy for me to say!), but look for a good quality item, you'll hopefully be wearing it for years.

Sometimes it gets cold enough you wear everything you have. Someplace in Russia during WW2.

Check out Corazzo jackets. I have the "Shop" jacket and it is pretty rad.

Get what YOU want. I see nothing wrong with a leather jacket. Good luck and post pics of what you get, please.

I'm in agreement with Judy, get what you like, if your S/O likes how you look in it, bonus they look at you more than you look at you. I was quite happy with my Corazzo Shop Jacket, but however I've lost a bunch of weight to the point of being quite scrawny, what fit me 6 years ago is now waaay toooo big. Anyone have the opposite 'problem' wanna trade a large for a medium?

I have a Brooks, made in Detroit....I bought it at a bankruptcy auction, but they are not cheap, but I like it. It is made in the USA....and have a textile, and a summer jacket....so get what you like, just remember good elbow and back protection is key....and wearing them all the time is key too.....
Now for pants, boots, and gloves, you should get these, too.